Fishing Monthly - Latest Fishing Reports


	These reports are updated weekly. Last Edited: Monday, 2 August 2004 Quick Jump Links: Gold Coast, Moreton Bay, Freshwater, Bribie Is & Caloundra, Sunshine Coast, Hervey Bay, Bundaberg, Yeppoon, Stanage Bay, Mackay, Whitsundays. Townsville, Hinchinbrook. Mission Beach, Karumba, Cairns, Port Douglas. C ooktown, Weipa, Archived Reports, Weather & Tides.
COMPILED WEEKLY BY GARRY SMITH IN CAIRNS: e-mail: lavallesmith@iig.com.au

Gold Coast

The weather on the Coast over the last week has been good for all types of fishing. The swell has been small and the wind has generally been light although some afternoons have blown up a bit.

Plenty of boats headed offshore during the week to chase both pelagics and reef fish. Most of the fishing was done on the close reefs although a few anglers tried the deeper reefs for good results. The pelagic scene has again been a little slow although a few nice fish were taken. The Tweed Nine Mile has once again been the most consistent area to try, with wahoo, yellowfin tuna and plenty of mack tuna taken. Most of the fish fell to trolled Halcos, Rapalas and Hexhead skirts. Off Southport the odd dolphinfish, yellowfin and mack tuna fell to small skirts and medium sized minnows. A large black marlin was also hooked on the shallow reefs on a skirt but managed to escape after a lengthy fight. The shallow reefs have been fishing very well in the early mornings, late afternoons and evenings. Fresh flesh baits and pillies produced plenty of squire, parrotfish and tailor. Floatlining in a berley trail into the evening has been working well for good size snapper and trag jew. Good numbers of cobia have been taken on livebaits fished anywhere from the bottom to the surface over the 18 and 24 fathom reefs. Some of the cobia have been 30kg and over so use suitable tackle and large baits such as big yellowtail and tailor. The deeper reefs have also fished well with a mixed bag of fish. Squire, parrot, morwong, tailor and pearl perch were all taken during the week, with fresh tuna strips the best bait. Glow sinkers seemed to work well in attracting the fish, with the early mornings the best time to fish. Livebaiting and jigging large metals along the 50 fathom line has produced plenty of kingies, amberjack and the odd sampsonfish.

The estuaries have been fishing nicely for a variety of species. The Broadwater has been producing some great catches of flathead. Most of the fish have been taken in shallow water around sandflats and weedbeds. Small diving minnows like Manns Stretch 5+ as well as soft plastics and whitebait have been working very well. Some good whiting have been taken in the Broadwater and further up the Nerang River on yabbies and bloodworms, especially on the rising tide at night. The eastern side of Crab Island, Chevron Island, the Council Chambers and the end of Campbell Street all produced good fish on most days during the week. Bream have been taken in numbers throughout all the local estuaries, with the river mouths consistently producing the best catches. In these areas the best baits are small live mullet and herring, although whitebait and strips of oily flesh also account for plenty of quality fish. Further up the rivers bream can be targeted with baits like whitebait, prawns, mullet gut and yabbies, or with lures. Throwing soft plastics or small soft plastic lures around bridges, pontoons, moored boats and marinas produces plenty of good bream along with a heap of fun. There have been some nice trevally taken up the rivers, with Lake Intrepid consistently producing fish. Poppers, soft plastics, minnows, flies and livebaits all work for this species and they are great fun on light tackle. The Seaway has been fishing well throughout the last week. Throwing metal lures, soft plastics and pilchards from the walls has been producing tailor, trevally and tarpon on the runin tide. The hole at the end of the north wall has been fishing well for school jew, large tailor and small sharks on livebaits. The Pipeline and the ends of the rock walls on Wavebreak Island have been a good spot to try for kingfish on lures and flies. The middle bank in the Seaway has been producing a few whiting, bream and trevally around the top of the tide.

The beaches have produced some nice catches of tailor lately, with the northern beaches fishing the best. South Straddie, the Spit and Narrowneck all fished well early in the morning or during the evening. Spinning pilchards or metal slugs in the deeper gutters was the way to go. A few jew have also been taken form the beaches at the south end of Straddie on live tailor. Dart have been a common catch on most of the beaches with a few whiting mixed in. Beachworms or pippies proved to be the best bait and also produced a few bream.

Hinze has been fishing a little better with the warmer spell of weather livening the fish up somewhat. Some good size bass are schooling up along the old riverbed and can be targeted on spinnerbaits and soft plastics. The steep banks have produced the odd yellowbelly on deep diving lures as well as a few catfish on live shrimp or worms. Fishing these baits as well as soft plastics from the shore was a good way to get some reasonable bass and a few silver perch.

John Polson & Paul Revie
The Fisherman Pty Ltd
Sporty's Warehouse
32 Strathaird Rd. Surfers Paradise
Gold Coast. QLD 4217
Australia
Phone: +61 7 5531 6511
Mobile: +61 418 751220
www.thefisherman.com.au